A gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. Additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine general includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion section to provide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gasses through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.
The turbine section typically includes a plurality of sequentially arranged stage(s) of turbine nozzles and turbine rotor blades. In at least certain gas turbine engines, the turbine nozzles and/or turbine rotor blades may be configured as a double-walled airfoil. More particularly, the airfoil may include a first wall exposed to the hot temperatures within a hot gas path of the gas turbine engine, and a second, interior wall spaced apart from the first wall. The second wall is typically rigidly connected to the first wall through one or more connection members.
During operation, however, a temperature of the first wall may become substantially higher than a temperature of the second wall. Given the temperature differential of the first and second walls, and the rigid connection between the first and second walls, and undesirable amount of thermal stress may be generated within the airfoil. Accordingly, an airfoil or other double-walled component capable of better accommodating a temperature differential between a pair of walls would be useful. Further, an airfoil or other double-walled component capable of accommodating a relative thermal expansion between a pair of walls to minimize an amount of thermal stress generated within the component would be particularly beneficial.